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St Helens Council’s community magazine Winter THROUGH THE LENS 2016 PAGE 20 LOCAL PLAN RAINHILL’S CONSULTATION RAILWAY PAGE 5 HISTORY PAGE 4 OUR NATIONAL LOTTERY WIN SEE PAGE 16-17 01744 676789 | www.sthelens.gov.uk | Winter 2016 | St Helens First 1 2 St Helens First | Winter 2016 | www.sthelens.gov.uk | 01744 676789 St Helens Council’s community magazine Welcome Winter EDITOR: Sean Doyle St. Helens Council, Press and Public Relations Office, Town Hall, St. Helens WA10 1HP. 2016 To contact your news team with suggestions for articles about you or your organisation. T: 01744 676164/5/6 E: [email protected] elcome to the prime position on the motorway CONTACT US winter edition of and rail networks and our links Whether it’s finding out how to St Helens First, a to exciting transport projects recycle your household waste, W prominent feature of which is a elsewhere in the North West, check what’s on, pay your Council celebration of the funding for Tax or to request a specific we’re ideally placed to seize service, the way you contact the the arts and culture scene that opportunities for employment council is up to you! the borough has benefitted and growth. One such golden from this year. Wesley House, Corporation Street, opportunity – Haydock Green – is St.Helens WA10 1HF In case you missed the news, we covered on page 5. won big in the National Lottery Tel: 01744 676789 And with winter upon us, you’ll Awards for our arts in libraries Minicom: 01744 671671 find some great advice on page Fax: 01744 676895 programme Cultural Hubs (pages 14 for vulnerable members of the Email: 16-17) – make sure you check out [email protected] St Helens the iconic trophy as it makes the community on how to stay warm Online: www.sthelens.gov.uk rounds of the borough’s libraries. and well. We’re also asking that, if Please contact us to request Council In other news, St Helens is you have elderly relatives, friends translation of council information beginning to take form as the or neighbours, don’t forget to look into Braille, audio tape or a foreign centre for logistics I know it can in on them and check they’re okay language. Leader’s be, for the benefit of our residents during the cold weather. TALKING PAGES column and our local economy. With our Councillor Barrie Grunewald St. Helens First is now available in talking book form for visually impaired people. For details contact the Press and Public Relations office on Tel: 01744 676164 HATE CRIME No form of hate crime should be tolerated. If you or someone you know is being victimised or targeted because of age, disability, gender, sexuality, race 5 16 or religion this can be reported confidentially to the following numbers: News St. Helens Council: 01744 676789 5 Haydock Green Crimestoppers: development 0800 555 111 Merseyside Police: 6 Multihog takes on Non-emergency 101 Emergencies only 999 potholes ADVERTISING 9 Ancient crafts St Helens Council does not 6 9 warrant the accuracy of any description or statement, nor Features does it endorse any product 4 Rainhill remembered or service, contained in any commercial advertisement within for railway this publication. 12 Thatto Heath ladies St. Helens First is printed on rugby success environmentally-friendly paper. 16 Borough gets arts funding St. Helens Council has achieved: 22 22 Penkford School showcased Follow us Like us on on Twitter: Facebook: @sthelenscouncil sthelenscouncil 01744 676789 | www.sthelens.gov.uk | Winter 2016 | St Helens First 3 Feature ABOVE: Liibrary service staff with representatives of the Rainhill Railway and Heritage Society, Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and RAINHILL’S PLACE IN American Society of Civil Engineers. BELOW: The British Railways Mark 1 carriage attached to Rainhill Library, HISTORY CONFIRMED which houses the Rainhill Locomotive Trials exhibit. Leading engineers from the UK and US converged on Rainhill Library for a ceremony that reaffirmed the village’s status as the birthplace of the railway. Rainhill was the site of the 1829 Rainhill Trials – won by George Stephenson and his Rocket locomotive. The contest led to the opening of the world’s first public railway the following year between Liverpool and Manchester. To commemorate the event, the library hosts a permanent Trials exhibit – staged in a British Railways Mark 1 carriage within its grounds. Recently however, the Liverpool to Manchester line was celebrated by the British Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, as well as their companion organisations from the USA, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The esteemed visitors unveiled a plaque at Rainhill Library that sees the line – with a route substantially unaltered since its construction – take its place alongside some of the world’s most iconic structures. The Eiffel Tower and the Brooklyn Bridge are among the select group to gain the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Historical Civil Engineering Landmark status. The plaque was unveiled at the library for exaggeration, immense.” and Heritage Society (pictured above, third from temporary display and will be moved to a Darrell Matthews, North West Regional left) said: “Our thanks go to the sponsoring permanent home at Rainhill Station early next Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers, organisations for this important recognition year. said: “George Stephenson came from very of the significance of Rainhill in the history of St Helens Council Leader Barrie Grunewald humble origins with no formal education and transport and engineering.” said: “As both Leader and a Rainhill Councillor, yet became one of the world’s great pioneering “It emphasises the place in history of Rainhill I’m delighted that our place in history is being engineers. His son Robert went on to become and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and commemorated in this way. President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, supports our ambition to see the line become a “The world owes much to the pioneering and their achievements literally helped create World Heritage site. The society, in conjunction developments that took place in and around the modern world. I feel this is a very fitting with Rainhill Parish Council, is working towards St Helens. The economic and social impact tribute to them and their work.” a major celebration of the 190th anniversary of of the railway across the globe was, without Derek Houghton, Chairman of Rainhill Railway the Trials, to be held in 2019.” 4 St Helens First | Winter 2016 | www.sthelens.gov.uk | 01744 676789 News Logistics centre gets the green light St Helens Council has given the green Construction of Phase 1 (11,689 sq m) is investment to the borough, creating skilled light to an ambitious new development expected to get underway later this year. jobs, and we’re strengthening our logistics that will see an estimated 617 jobs Upon completion, the site – developed by ambitions, with Chartered Institute of Logistics created in Haydock. Morley Estates – will provide state-of-the-art and Transport (CILT) qualifications now The Haydock Green plans will see 11 hectares accommodation for three major employers. available at St Helens College’s new Logistics of greenbelt land adjacent to Haydock Council Leader, Barrie Grunewald said: “More Academy.” Industrial Estate prepared for 46,500 square and more big distributors are recognising The council is confident that this is the start of metres (sq m) of warehousing, ancillary office the unique logistics offer that St Helens up to 300,000 sq m of new commercial space space and a new access off Penny Lane. can provide, so we must be ready and able that will be submitted as applications over the Great care will also be taken to protect local to seize opportunities that can grow our next 18 months, on sites adjacent to the M6 wildlife, including an ecological mitigation zone economy. and M62 demonstrating that St.Helens is a for great crested newts. “We’re continuing to attract large-scale inward location of choice for business. Help shape St Helens’ future It’s time to share your views and December 2016 and January 2017. Why not take the budget challenge using the help shape the borough’s future, Please keep an eye on the online ‘You Choose’ budget simulator? with two consultations that council’s website – www. With St Helens Council facing unprecedented will each have significant sthelens.gov.uk – for financial pressures down to continued bearing on the years information and dates spending reductions – despite a growing ahead taking place on the forthcoming demand for services – the local authority is over the next couple looking to consult on its budget for 2017/2018 of months. consultation. Alternatively, if you with the people who matter most – residents! St Helens Council would like to be Residents are tasked with taking on the is preparing a kept informed you difficult challenge of cutting the expected £7.8 new Local Plan million from the 2016/2017 budget, keeping Preferred Options for can sign up to our it balanced while continuing to protect critical the borough, which will set Local Plan Consultation services. out the council’s preferred Database by emailing approach on how much us at planningpolicy@ Residents can also provide their comments development is required sthelens.gov.uk or and views by contacting the council’s Contact and where new development writing to: Development Centre at [email protected] should be located. It is Plans Section, Town or on 01744 676789. To take the simulator envisaged that consultation on the Hall Annexe, Victoria Square, St Helens, challenge, visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/ Preferred Options will take place over Merseyside, WA10 1HP.